5SOS Short Stories

(3) Who Doesn't? |Luke|

'Nina, 5 minutes until you go on stage,' a man dressed in black wearing a headpiece with a microphone attached to it shouted to me. He carried a clipboard in one hand and used the other to wipe the beads of sweat away from his face as he rushed between the stage and dressing rooms.

I felt sick to my core. This was the biggest performance of my life. I was the opening act of the Capital FM Summer Time Ball. It was insane. I couldn't believe this was happening. Only a year ago I was singing on my bedroom floor, dreaming of being given an opportunity to perform to a crowd a fraction of this size. Eighty thousand people were outside, ready to party. 

I looked in the mirror in my dressing room, reminding myself to breathe. The lights that lined the edges framed my ghostly white face. I picked up some bronzer just to give myself some colour.  

'Ok,' I said to myself, 'you can do this Nina, come on, you can do this.' I played with my already perfect hair nervously. I was doing anything to distract myself. My trembling hands were off putting so I pulled them back down to my side.

'3 minutes!' the perspiring man shouted as he ran by my open dressing room door. I picked up my guitar and slung the strap around my neck. I took one final look in the mirror. 

This was it.

The walk from the dressing room to the stage wasn't long. I wished it was longer. I was absolutely petrified. Normally I would be fine, I would be dying to get on stage. But this was different. This was a live event being televised to millions. There were thousands of screaming people waiting out there, the noise was overwhelming. I couldn't stop my breathing from speeding up or my hands from getting clammy. I wiped them on my white, lacy dress I was wearing. 

I was looking down at the floor, my heart rate at 200 beats per minute. I couldn't do this. I couldn't.

I was lost in a world of my panicked thoughts. What if I forget the words? What if I sound terrible? What if I fall of stage? What if a guitar string breaks? What if... All things very unlikely but still possible.

I was so tangled in a web of worry I didn't see the person in front of me. I walked straight into them.

'Oh, God, I'm so sorry!' I looked up and had to literally crane my neck to see his face. 'Oh my god, you're... you're...' I couldn't get my words out. As if I wasn't nervous enough already.

'I'm in your way? I'm sorry!' he laughed stepping aside.

'No,' I gasped for breath. Bumping into him had thrown me and my concentration on breathing had slipped. My lungs were now begging me for air. 'You're... Luke Hemmings!' I couldn't believe it. He was even more beautiful in person.

He smiled and giggle, 'that's me!' He held out his arms as if to say here I am.

'Nina, 1 minute, 1 minute!'

'Oh you're Nina!' Luke said equally surprised. 'I love your music! Your song 'Feel This Way' is one of my favourites at the moment!' He pulled out his phone and showed me the last song he'd played. Sure enough, it was mine.

'Wow... I can't believe you know who I am!' I was astonished. 'I love your music too... I mean, you guys are some of my idols.' 

'Thank you, wow, that means so much to us,' Luke smiled, looking down at the floor, almost shyly.

'Nina, you have 10 seconds to get over to me now before I have a heart attack and this show doesn't go on at all!' The man's black cotton t-shirt was now stuck to his body and his face roaring red. He'd given up clearing the sweat from his forehead a long time ago.

'Ok, I better go,' I said walking away from Luke, my nerves picking up again. I couldn't believe I'd actually just meet one of my heroes and he knew my music.